Skill and determination in Steinbach, MB

Steinbach, Manitoba, is an unlikely place to find mountain bike trails. The historically Mennonite farming community has little in the way of elevation. However, what they lack in opportunities for new trails, they make up for in determination from a core group of local trail advocates.

Pat Siemens, of Body Driven Sports, works with a small group of volunteers to build a short but very popular section of singletrack that follows along a small creek on city owned property. The roughly 1km long trail has been well designed, incorporating many of the large trees as anchors for wide sweeping turns and interesting gateways.

Given that the trail is both along a waterway, and the local soil type is a water-holding prairie gumbo, a few areas along the trail needed a bit of re-routing to stay dry. Our project reclaimed 30 metres of trail that was often wet in the spring, and replaced it with 30 metres of bench-cut trail up and out of the wet area. Thanks to the help of all the volunteers that came out, the new trail maintains the same flow and experience as the old, but will stay much drier during the spring wet season.

Steinbach is a great example of how local know-how and determination can make the best of any situation. Body Driven has not only created a great trail experience from minimal space, but have also introduced mountain biking to an entire community. What untapped opportunities are waiting for you?